Device for the opening of containers



March 16, I937. ERNST-HERBERT WEBER 2,074,156

DEVICE FOR THE OPENING OF CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 23, 1935 Ink .1

ATTOR NEY Patented Mar. 16,- 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,-

DEVICE FOR THE OPENING OF CONTAINERS Ernst-Herbert Weber, New York, N. Y. Application November 23, 1935, Serial No. 51,210 2 Claims.- (01. 229-51) The invention relates to an opening device for containers of the class consisting of cartons, boxes, and especially cigarette packages comprising a cutting member such as a thread, cord, 5 string, or wire placed in such position with relation to the container so that said container will be opened almost instantaneously by pullingthe cutting member.

Cartons of the typeused for the transportation of canned goods, preserves, or such boxed commodities as sugar, salt, cereals, soap, and the like in wholesale quantities, and also cartons used in such industries as the equipment, textile, and various other industries, are hard to open and consequently waste the time of the opener and very often cause damage to the contents.

Boxes of the type used for the individual packing of sugar, soap suds, cereals, and the like are also hard to open. Since such containers are, in the great majority of cases, opened by women, they especially should be made easy to open. At present such boxes are usually opened with a knife or with the fingers, which method frequently results in the scratching or cutting of the'hands, and breaking of fingernails as well as the spillingof a portion of the contents.

Cigarette packages, as every smoker knows by experience, are particularly hard to open. The use of the fingernailsin this operation is extremely awkward and undesirable and the use of Y a knife or other sharp instrument is even more so. I

I have now found a means whereby containers of the class consisting of cartons, boxes, and

especially cigarette packages can be opened easily, sanitarily, and almost instantaneously without anyp'ssibility of damaging the goods contained therein.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the 40 accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Figure 2 is a plan view of a cigarette package showing the essential details of my'invention.

A cutting member in the form of a thread or- 5 cord is inserted with a needle or other suitable means, into a comer; of the package 2,- withdrawn from the package.

at corner 3, reinserted in adjoining edge 4, and again withdrawn at er The ends of the thread of cord may b tied at a point outside the package such as point By merely pulling thev exposed loop, the package is easily and cleanly cut along one entire edge and part of an adjoining edge. Little or no additional tearing is, then required before cigarettescan be withdrawn The applicant does not limit himself to the invention specifically as shown in the drawing. The process of insertion and withdrawal may be reversed. Insertions may be made so as to result in the cutting of a whole edge and part of another.-

This invention may of course be applied to many types of containerssuch as. cartons and boxes as well as to cigarette packages. Thread, cord, string, wire, of the like may be used as cutting members. The insertion of the cutting member may be performed by hand or by machine.

The application of this invention to cigarette packages is especially well suited because the process of packing cigarettes does not have to be modified or interrupted in any way as the insertion of the cutting member may be made after the packing has been completed. The two ends of the cutting member may be tied together simply by a knot or connected by any suitable device such as a tag.

1. The process of incorporating a cutting member in a container which comprises inserting said cutting member into one edge of the container. withdrawing it from an adjacent corner, reinserting itinto another adjoining edge, and withdrawing it at or near the first point of withdrawal.

2. The process of incorporating a cutting member in a package of cigarettes which comprises inserting said cutting member into one comer of the package, withdrawing it from an adjacent corner, reinserting it into another adjoiningedge, and withdrawing it at or near the first point of withdrawal. ERNST-HERBERT WEBER. 

